Category Archives: deductibles

Not long ago, the Fear-Mongers were warning that under the Affordable Care Act, insurance premiums would spiral, causing “sticker shock.” Then the rates were published, and it turned out that, thanks to transparent markets in the exchanges, insurers had to compete on price, and premiums are lower than expected.

But don’t worry, reform’s opponents haven’t run out of talking points. (I expect that long after most of the country has begun to enjoy the benefits of Obamacare, out-of-touch conservatives still will be muttering to themselves – rather like Japanese officers who held out in the jungles of the Philippines after WW II ended, unable to accept the fact that they had lost the war.)

In search of a new meme, they have latched onto the idea that, in the exchanges, customers will face “Staggering Out-of-Pocket Costs.” Sure, premiums may look low they say,, but wait until you try to use the policy and find yourself laying out $6,000. . Not long ago,Fox News summed up the argument: If the policy you bought in the individual market is cancelled because it doesn’t conform to the ACA’s rules, and you are forced to purchase coverage in an exchange, co-pays and deductibles will soon make you realize that the ACA is really “The Unaffordable Care Act.”

It turns out that the survey greatly exaggerates out-of-pocket spending in the Exchanges by focusing only on Bronze plan. Meanwhile, the media ignores the most important number: what is the Maximum that an insurer can ask you to pay out of pocket?

The problem with many of the policies that are now being cancelled is not just that they were studded with holes (some didn’t cover hospitalization; some didn’t cover chemo), but that in many states, a family could be asked to pay $30,000—or more—in co-pays and deductibles. . In a few states, there was no cap on the a patient’s liability.I This is how families lose their homes.